The Gift Box

I have a few minutes spare this afternoon, so I thought I would share with a you little graphics project I have just finished for a new local business.

It is a postcard design for a gorgeous new shop called The Gift Box, based locally to me and set up by Deanne (of Quirky Boots and Warkton Village Craft Market fame) and her good friend Rona.

The shop is now open and I was lucky enough to pop along last week and take some snaps to share with you. I was astonished at what the girl's have managed to achieve in just a few months; the shop is a handmade haven of glorious goodies, all housed in a super-cute old stable block that they have worked so hard to totally transform. With whitewashed walls and a new floor, it is clear that a great deal of care and attention has been put into the design of the shop and the numerous vintage display cupboards that have been painstakingly painted and finished.

All of the items for sale have been cherry-picked from selected local craftspeople, many of whom Deanne and Rona know personally. There are a diverse range of disciplines making up the huge range of items on offer, all original and handmade.

The Gift Box is a brilliant showcase for local craftspeople, I can't wait to go back and I thoroughly recommend that if you are in the area you should check it out too, you won't be disappointed!

First of my Screen Printed products

 I have been playing around with screen printing for a few months now and have been trying to find a way to create designs that still look like they are mine and fit into my range, but without embroidering them.

It's taken a little while to find 'my style' and I guess this is something that will constantly evolve, but what I'm really hoping to do is bring together my graphics work with my textiles so that I can have a harmonious brain and avoid the disjointed thinking that I have been doing for the last eighteen months.

For my first product I have developed on of my old favourites. Mot of you will remember my carrier bag holders with the free machine embroidery, well this is a new take on that and I am really delighted to be using gorgeous old vintage candy stripe fabric too.

I am offering each design in one base fabric, so they are very limited availability and once these have gone, the print design will change along with the fabrics.

I hope you like the new concept and product. They are available directly from me and through my not on the high street.com shop.

Bath in Pictures

As Vintage fesitval was cancelled at Boughton House at the weekend, we decided to seize the opportunity of pre-arranged childcare and get away from it all for a couple of days, I won't bore you with the details, but here are some pics which are quite self-explanatory.

Personalised Bunting

Well the sun has finally decided to come out, but for how long? At least until the washing has dried I hope. I have been doing the washing dance for weeks now (it's sunny so you hang it out to dry and the next minute it pours down so you have to rush to get it back in, for it to be sunny again ten minutes later) it's very annoying especially when there is bunting to be sewn.

I haven't blogged for over a week as it's so hectic right now, there's lots going on behind the scenes. I have been screen printing new designs at Leicester Print workshop, this is part of the product development that I have been talking about for weeks, I had hoped to have some new products to show for it by now but this new found urgency to design and make new products also coincided with everyone and their granny deciding they need personalised bunting! So here are some pics of said bunting. I promise my next post will contain at least one (and maybe even two) new printed products.

That's all for now!